Side question: Why do people buy baguettes? Do they make sandwiches with them? How do you even make a sandwich from them? How are you meant to beat a baguette???
Side question: Why do people buy baguettes? Do they make sandwiches with them? How do you even make a sandwich from them? How are you meant to beat a baguette???
Why would you want to bake in a container vs a flat surface? Why are some types of bread one shape, and others another? Is it just tradition, or is there some practical aspect?
Baking in a rectangular shape allows you to make a space efficient bread that you can easily stack and transport. Also, it is very predictable, can fit neatly into your toaster, and can be cut in triangles.
Making bread on a flat surface allows you to minimize costs of entry (not only don’t you need the forms which are relatively cheap, you can go with simpler/cheaper ovens), and this kind of bread has a more pronounced crust, which many people like.
Also, rectangular bread is harder to leaven for a long period of time as it comes with numerous technological complications down the production line. This affects the aroma composition, making rectangular bread less attractive for those who want the traditional “bread” taste.
Baguette, as I already mentioned, has a unique crust and crumb texture defined by the shape and baking conditions. Many people like it that way.
Crusts like this generally require a lot of steam in the oven, and steam ovens are usually much more expensive than non-steam ovens.
If you want a homemade loaf that can actually produce the type of bubbly crust you expect in certain types of European style breads, you’ll have to trap a lot of steam where you’re baking it, often by containing it in a Dutch oven.
And shaping/forming a loaf that stays tall when being baked on a flat surface takes skill, lots of practice and experience.
The containers can increase your breads toaster compatibility :D
But overall I guess it’s a bit like pasta: different use cases (sandwich, sides for salad or soup, as a stand alone dish / food), regions with different resources for flour, fluids, spices, … and also different kinds of utilities (metal pans weren’t easily available everywhere, all the time and they take up space) and so on.
And all these things influence how the bread tastes, looks and feels. So variety in process (container vs surface, loafs vs flat breads, handcrafted vs automatically processed, …) leads to different results with different characteristics.
E.g. I love Apulian bread. It’s a loaf with a slightly darker crust, but lighter and soft on the inside. The crust gives it a slightly bitter taste, that makes it a bit rustic (the only thing better is a fresh baked sourdough loaf).
It’s perfect for sandwiches IMHO but for french toast it’s a pain in the ass. I use pan baked toast (different density, crust and form) instead and again: perfect bread for this dish.
And then just imagine eating a Döner from half a loaf of grey bread, or toast, … blasphemy!